Nigerian Journal of Technology (NIJOTECH)

Vol. 32. No. 3. November 2013, pp. 455 – 462

Copyright© Faculty of Engineering,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, ISSN: 1115-8443
www.nijotech.com

DEVELOPMENT OF MOTORIZED OIL PALM FRUIT ROTARY DIGESTER

F. U. Asoiro1, U. C. Udo2
1,2 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIORESOURCES ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA, NIGERIA
E-mail addresses:: 1felixasoiro@yahoo.com, 2ubitesco07@yahoo.com

Abstract
A motorized oil palm fruit rotary digester comprising of a feed hopper, hammers, axle, screening plate, v-v-belt,
2hp electric motor, digesting chamber and frame was designed and developed using standard and locally
sourced materials. The performance test analysis showed that its throughput capacity is 117.93kg/hr with a
performance efficiency of 64.88% at an optimum operational speed of 621.4rpm. Rate of digestion increased
with the mass of the digesting palm fruit while the efficiency of the oil palm fruit digesting machine decreased
with increase in mass of the digesting palm fruit in some cases.

Keywords: Digester, Oil palm fruit, Extraction, Dura, Tenera, Pisifera.

1. Introduction its fruits in bunches varying in weight from 10 to

Oil palm is a valuable crop because of its major
products (red palm oil and white palm kernel oil).
Palm oil is of considerable commercial importance.
About 14% of world’s supply of vegetable oil is
derived from oil palm [1]. The extraction of
vegetables and edible oil seeds such as groundnuts,
kernels, copra, palm fruit etc, is a well-established
industrial activity in a number of developing West
African and Asian countries like Senegal, Liberia,
Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Malaysia and
Indonesia. Nigeria used to be one of the highest
producers of palm fruit until the discovery in 1958 of
crude oil in the southern part of the country [2]. This
diverted attention from agricultural production,
which used to be the main stay of the economy [3].
The oil palm, (Elaeis guineensis) belongs to the
family of Palmae and is a major tropical tree crop in
Nigeria. It is grown in the Southern part of the
country and the Guinea savannah area of the Middle
belt. It originated from the tropical rain forest region
of West Africa with its main oil palm belt running
through the Southern latitudes of Sierra Leone,
Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria,
Cameroon and into the equatorial region of Zaire and
Angola between latitudes 10oN and 10oS [4]. The oil
palm is an erect single stemmed tree of fairly
uniform column growing up to eight meters or more
at maturity. The ovary inflorescence develops large
bunches and each bunch contains approximately
between 800-1000 fruits [5]. The size of the fruits or
the nuts depends mainly on the thickness of the shell.
Because of its economics importance as a high-
yielding source of edible oils, oil palm is now grown
as a plantation crop in most countries with high
rainfall (minimum 1600mm/year). The palm bears
Nigerian Journal of Technology
40kg. The individual fruits are made up of an outer
skin (exocarp), a pulpy skin (mesocarp) containing
the palm oil in fibrous matrix, central nut consisting
of shell carp) and the kernel which itself contains oil
quite different from palm oil. The fruit is an oval-
shaped drupe 2.5- 5cm in length and 2.5cm in
diameter. The fruits are borne tightly clustered in
large bunches which may weight from 5kg in young
pour palms to as much as 40kg in 15-year-old palms
in favourable condition [5]. Three types/varieties of
palm fruit exist [4]: the dura, pisfera and tenera. The
dura consists of a thick pericarp or exocarp, 2–8 mm
thick, a thin mesocarp (which is responsible for the
low palm oil content of this variety), thick endocarp
(shell) and generally large kernels (which make it
suitable for kernel oil production). Its mesocarp
content is 35–55%. The pisfera has fruits which
possesses thick mesocarp (with very little oil
content), no endocarp (shell less) and with small
kernel. The tenera type possesses thick mesocarp
(much pulp), thin endocarp and a reasonably sized
kernel. It is the product of the cross of pisfera and
dura. It is useful in the production of mesocarp oil
but less kernel oil when compared with the dura
variety. It is now commonly used as a planting
material because of its superior yield of palm oil. The
oil content of palm fruit depends on the thickness of
the mesocarp (for palm oil) and the size of the kernel
(for kernel oil)
The major producers of oil palm are the republic of
Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Angola, Congo, Malaysia
and Indonesia. Nigeria used to be a leading palm oil
producer in the world. The wild oil palm groove in
Nigeria is estimated at 2.1 million hectares whereas
plantation estates and small holdings account for
Vol. 32, No. 3, November 2013 455
 DEVELOPMENT OF MOTORIZED OIL PALM FRUIT ROTARY DIGESTER,
81,475 and 105,184 ha, respectively. Red palm oil,
the most important product of the oil palm, is the
world’s main edible oil also used for soap making [6].
It is used for soup and table fats such as margarine
and for the production of cosmetics in many
countries as well as useful raw material in
pharmaceutical industries for the manufacture of
drugs. Red palm oil is used in the manufacturing of
soap, toiletries, surface active ingredients, baking
coatings, whipped creams and sugar confectioneries.
The meal obtained after oil extraction from the palm
kernel nut is also used as animal feed. High quality
palm oil is needed for domestic and industrial
applications. Two types of oil are produced from the
oil palm, red palm oil from the fruit white oil from
the kernel. The palm oil content of the fruit is about
55% and of the kernel is about 47% [7]. The fatty
acid composition of the palm oil is very different
from that of the palm kernel oil. Typically, for tenera
fruit, 100 tones of fresh fruit bunches will yield 21
tonnes of oil and 6 tonnes of decorticated palm
kernel oil. This palm kernel oil represents 12% of
total oil production.
Figure 1 below shows the block diagram of the
processes in oil palm production.
Source: [5]
Figure 1: Block diagram showing major stages involved
in oil palm production
From the above block diagram, the key process in the
oil palm production process is fruit
pulping/digestion. Fruit pulping/digestion, which is
taken as the fifth step in the block diagram above,
involves the digesting of the boiled or unboiled mass
of palm fruit in such a manner that its mesocarp (the
fleshly part of the palm fruit) is separated from the
kernel. This step is important in the sense that, it is
only when the fruits have been thoroughly pulped
Nigerian Journal of Technology
F. U. Asoiro, U. C. Udo
that the various oil palm products like edible oil,
soap, confectioneries etc can be derived. Figure 2
gives a cross sectional diagramme of oil palm fruit.
Figure 2: Fresh palm fruit
Digestion is the process of releasing the palm oil in
the fruit through the rupture or breaking down of the
oil-bearing cells. The digester commonly used
consists of a steam-heated cylindrical vessel fitted
with a central rotating shaft carrying a number of
beater (stirring) arms. Through the action of the
rotating beater arms the fruit is pounded. Pounding,
or digesting the fruit at high temperature, helps to
reduce the viscosity of the oil, destroys the fruits’
outer covering (exocarp), and completes the
disruption of the oil cells already begun in the
sterilization phase. Unfortunately, for reasons
related to cost and maintenance, most small-scale
digesters do not have the heat insulation and steam
injections that help to maintain their contents at
elevated temperatures during this operation.
Farmers and oil palm processors carry out the
process of oil palm fruit digestion by manual means.
Local, digestion of palm fruit is usually performed by
the use of mortar and pestle or by barefoot
processing method. In the mortar and pestle method,
the boiled palm fruits are poured into the wooden
mortar. The mortar is surrounded by villagers,
mostly women, who take turns to pound/pulp the
fruits using pestles. The amount or quality of palm
fruits to be digested or pulped depends on the size of
the mortar and the strength of the women. On the
other hand, the barefoot processing method is quite
similar to the mortar and pestle method, but in this
case, the pulping chamber is a wooded canoe and the
pestle is the bare foot. These primitive methods of
digestions have a wide range of disadvantages, some
of which are: slow and very low digestion and
production rates, unhygienic, time-consuming,
drudgery and the fact that a lot of human energy is
usually expended during pulping/digestion. Due to
this poor processing method, countries like Nigeria
have not been able to fully utilize the product export
capacity.
On the other hand, the mechanized form of palm oil
processing which embodies to some extent the small
Vol. 32, No. 3, November 2013 456
 DEVELOPMENT OF MOTORIZED OIL PALM FRUIT ROTARY DIGESTER,
and large scale mills may involve series of
mechanized and automated system tending to serve
the purpose of each major stage or process along the
production line of which oil palm fruit digestion is
one. Thus, one of the constrains in the mechanization
and automation of small-scale palm oil mills is the
unavailability of an efficient, small scale palm fruit
digester of which this work chooses to address.
2. Materials and Method
2.1 Design Consideration and Specifications
Having studied the primitive method of digestion
and mechanized rotary action oil palm fruit digester,
a lot was taken into consideration in the
development of the machine:
1. Higher capacity compared to the traditional
/primitive method of palm fruit digestion.
2. Reduction in drudgery associated with the
traditional/primitive method of palm fruit
digestion.
3. Strength of material should withstand the force
acting on the various components of the rotary
palm fruit digester.
4. Simplicity and complexity of the digester should
suit the intended user(s) and has no side effect on
him and his environment.
5. The angle of inclination for the hopper was 45o to
the horizontal which was the angle of repose of
the variety of palm fruit on stainless steel
determined in the laboratory.
2.2 Machine Features
2.2.1 Hopper
The hopper is made up of 3.5mm gauge stainless
steel sheet. The shape of the hopper is trapezoidal
and also provides a doorway to the digesting
chamber. The hopper is mounted on top of the
digesting chamber and has a semi-circular shape at
the throat region for easy flow of the palm fruit. The
design is based on the angle of repose of 45o of palm
fruit on stainless steel which is determined for the
dura, tenera and pisifera species.
2.2.2 Frame
The frame provides rigid and skeletal support for the
entire system. Apart from the four-corner support of
main frame work, it consists of two compartments,
which are the support for the digesting chamber and
another support for the electric motor. The frame is
made of 2 inch angle iron bar. It has a length of
655mm, width 655mm and height of 400mm.
2.2.3 Digesting Chamber
This is set to provide housing for the hammers
during operation. It is a cylindrical drum placed
Nigerian Journal of Technology
F. U. Asoiro, U. C. Udo
vertically with the top opening which a hopper was
attached to serve as the door way to the digesting
chamber. The bottom part is closed with a conical
flange having a central opening of 25mm that will aid
the collection of oil after digestion. It is made of
3.5mm stainless steel sheet with a diameter of
455mm and a height of 380mm.
2.2.4 The Hammer
This is designed to act as beaters. They are attached
to a central shaft to provide the size reduction effect
on the palm fruit. On the other side of it a pulley is
fitted to the hammer shaft to provide the drive from
the electric motor via the v-belt. The hammers are
eight in number. They are made of 37.5 × 37.5 × 500
mm angle iron.
2.3
2.3 Description of the Machine
The developed palm fruit digester (Figure 3) was
designed, fabricated and assembled at the workshop
of Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka.. The machine consists
of a hopper, frame, digesting chamber and hammers
enclosed in the digesting chamber.
Cooked or uncooked palm fruit is fed through a
hopper which is trapezoidal in shape, made of 3.5
stainless steel, welded at an angle of repose of 45o to
an orifice that empties into the digesting chamber. In
the digesting chamber are eight sets of hammers
attached to a centrally placed vertical shaft. As the
hammers rotate, they help in the pulping/digestion
of the palm fruits. On the end side of the hammer
shaft, a pulley is fitted to the hammer shaft to
provide the drive from the electric motor of 3 horse
power via the v-belt. The shaft is made up of 24mm
gauge stainless steel. The electric motor revolves at
621.4rpm with belt and pulley connections.
2.3 Machine Component Selection and Design
Calculations
2.3.1 Determination of Physical and Mechanical
Properties of Oil Palm Fruit
For effective design of the machine, it was necessary
to determine the physical and mechanical properties
of the oil palm fruits relevant to their behaviour
during pulping. The physical properties that were
considered in this study are size, shape, true density,
bulk density and porosity while the mechanical
properties are hardness and shear strength. These
experiments were carried out in Agricultural and
Bioresources Engineering and civil Engineering
Laboratories, University of Nigeria Nsukka.
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 DEVELOPMENT OF MOTORIZED OIL PALM FRUIT ROTARY DIGESTER, F. U. Asoiro, U. C. Udo

• Determination of size
From the samples, 50 fruits were selected at random
for determining the physical characteristics. For
each fruit, three linear dimensions were measured,
that is (a) length, (b) width, and (c) thickness, using
a Vernier caliper (Kanon Instrument, Japan) reading
to 0.01 mm. Hence measurement of all size indices
were replicated three times
• Determination of shape
The fruit shape was expressed in terms of its
sphericity index and aspect ratio. For the sphericity
index (Sc), the dimensions obtained for the 50 palm
fruits selected at random in above were used to
compute the index based on equation (1) [8].
1
3
(abc)
Sc = × 100 (1)
a (c)
where a is the major diameter (mm), b is the
intermediate diameter (mm), c is the minor
diameter (mm) and S c is the sphericity index.

(d)

Figure 3: Isometric view of the developed oil palm

(a) fruit rotary digester

For the aspect ratio, 50 palm fruits were also

selected at random for conducting the experiment.
Measurements of all size and shape indices are
replicated fifty times. The Vernier caliper was also
used for the measurements. The aspect ratio (Ra)
was calculated as recommended by [9]. This is
shown in equation (2):
b
Ra = × 100 (2)
a
where a is the major diameter (mm), b is the
intermediate diameter (mm) and Ra is the aspect
ratio
• Determination of fruit mass
The mass of individual fruits were determined by
(b) using a Mettler Toledo PB 153 electronic balance
(Mettler Toledo GmbH, Greifensee, Switzerland) to
Nigerian Journal of Technology Vol. 32, No. 3, November 2013 458
 DEVELOPMENT OF MOTORIZED OIL PALM FRUIT ROTARY DIGESTER, F. U. Asoiro, U. C. Udo

an accuracy of 0.001 g. Each measurement was P (7)

replicated 50 times.
• Determination of true and bulk density
The true density of the palm fruit was determined by
the water displacement technique [10]. Ten
randomly selected palm fruits were weighed and
lowered into a graduated measuring cylinder
containing 30 ml of water. It was ensured that the
fruit was submerged in water. The net volumetric
water displacement by each fruit was recorded. The
true density l t was then calculated using equation
(3) below:
m the comprehensive summary/results of the
lt = (3)
v preliminary experiment. From the table, the mean
Where m is the mass of fruit (kg), and v is the volume
of fruit (m3).
For bulk density measurement, an empty cylindrical
container of 444.50 cm3 volume was filled with palm
fruits and the bulk weight recorded. This was done
in 10 replications.
Using equation above, the bulk density l b was then
calculated for each of the replications.
• Determination of density ratio and porosity
The density ratio, Dr is the ratio of true density to
bulk density expressed in percentage as shown in
equation (4):
l and speed of one pulley is equal to that of the other
Dr = t × 100 (4)
lb
Porosity (P) was computed as shown in equation (5)
[11]
lt −lb
P= × 100 (5)
lt
Where l t is the true density (kg/m3), l b is the bulk
density (kg/m3), D r is density ratio and P is the
porosity
• Hardness and Shear Strength
In determination of the fruit mesocarp hardness/
shear strength and endocarp hardnes/ shear
strength, the sterile test specimens were insert into
a tensometer. A uniform shear force was
continuously applied until the test specimen start
initial fracturing. The shear strength of the mesocarp
of the fruit mesocarp and that of the endocarp was
deduced using the formular in equation (6):
Applied shear force
Shear strength = (6)
Fruit area
And hardness of the mesocarp was calculated using
ILO [12] formula as stated in equation (7)
HBN =
πD  1

 D − ( D2 − d 2 ) 
2
2  
Where HBN is the hardness number, P is constant
force (= 34.65N), D is the Brinnel bulb diameter (=
2.00mm), d is the depth of indentation (mm)
The data gotten from the above is relevant in
maintaining a suitable centrifugal force (Fc) at the
course of the design that can completely digest the
fruit mesocarp without breaking the palm kernel
shell (endocarp).
In view of the experiment carried out, Table 2 shows
bulk densities of the three species of palm fruit were
used in determining the capacity of the machine
(kg). That of the dura species, because of its
availability was used as reference in the evaluation
of the power requirement of the hammer or beater.
2.3.2 Design Calculations
The major designs were on the power requirement,
speed of hammer or beater and proper shaft
selection.
1. Speed of the Hammer or Beater
Using the theory that the product of the diameter
[13]. The hammer speed was calculated by using
equation (8):
D1N1 = D2N2 (8)
where D1 is the diameter of the pulley on electric
motor (m), D2 is the diameter of pulley attached to
the hammer shaft (m), N1 is the speed of electric
motor (r.p.m), N2 is the speed of the hammer shaft
(r.p.m):
D1 N 1
N2 = (9)
D2
2. Centrifugal Force Developed in the System
Centrifugal force (Fc) developed in the barrel was
deduced as follows [14]:
Fc = Mω 2 r1 (10)
where M is the inertia mass of the hammer before
attaching to the shaft (kg), ω is the angular velocity
of the hammer shaft (rad/sec) and r1 is the radius of
the hammer shaft (m)
2πN 2
But ω = (11)
60
Therefore, equations (10) and (11) becomes:

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 DEVELOPMENT OF MOTORIZED OIL PALM FRUIT ROTARY DIGESTER, F. U. Asoiro, U. C. Udo

2
 2πN 2  Fc
T2= (20)
Fc = M   r1 (12)
3
 60 
Effective tension on the belt then becomes 81.3N.
Centrifugal force developed in the beater was then
obtained from (12) as 122N.
2. Shaft Selection
The machine shaft was selected using the code of
3. Torque Developed
America Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
The torque in the design is considered here so that
equation for solid shaft having little or no axial
the idea of the capacity or power of the electric
loading shown in (21).
motor to be used can be determined. Using the
Where,
expression by Kurmi and Gupta [15] that torque (T)
16 1
is equal to the product of force and radius, the value
of the torque developed on the pulley of the hammer
d3=
πS s
[
( K b M b )2 + ( K t M t )2 ] 2
(21)

shaft can be calculated using: where d is the diameter of shaft (m), Ss is the
T=Fcr2 (13) ultimate stress of mild steel without key way (= 55
Where Fc id the centrifugal force developed in the N/m2 ), Kb is the combined shock and fatigue factor
barrel, r2 is the radius of pulley on the hammer shaft. applied to bending, moment is 1.5, Mb is the
So the torque developed in the system will be maximum bending moment (Nm), Kt is the combined
8.57Nm. shock and fatigue factor applied torsional moment
(=1.0) and Mt is the maximum torsion moment (Nm)
2.3.3. Power Requirement, Tension in the Belt and
Shaft Selection 2.4 Performance Test Procedures.
The power requirement of the machine was 2.4.1 Sourcing and Preparation of the Test Sample
determined with the expression by Kurmi and Gupta A bulk sample of matured palm fruit (dura specie) of
[15] which states that power is the product of torque about 240kg was procured from the main market,
(T) and angular velocity ( ω ) as: Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. The palm fruit was
P = Tω (14) inspected to ascertain its quality. The fruits were
2πN 2 cleansed and washed for dirt and other
But ω = , therefore (14) becomes: contaminants. Samples were collected to determine
60
the initial moisture content. After the digester has
2πN 2T
P= (15) been assembled and installed, two different sets of
60 experiments were carried out using the oil palm
where P is the Power (Watt) , N is the speed of shaft fruits. In the first experimental plan, the optimal
(r.p.m) and T is the torque required to turn the shaft speed of the digester was determined. Ten different
(Nm). Therefore 2hp was selected to give the samples of boiled fresh oil palm fruit weighing 5kg
required torque in the system. each was fed through the hopper for digesting after
starting the machine. In each of the ten trails with
1. Tension in the V-belt different operational speed of 581.4, 591.4, 601.4,
Tension in the v-belt was deduced by applying Kurmi 611.4, 621.4, 631.4, 641.4, 651.4, 661.4 and
and Gupta [15] formula shown in equation (15) 671.4rpm, a stop watch was used to monitor the time
T1 taken for the digestion
= l θµ (16)
In the second experiment, the performance of the
T2
digester was evaluated by determining the rate of
where T1 is the tension on the tight side of the belt,
digestion, DC (Kg/hr) and efficiency, η (%).
T2 is the tension on the slack side of the belt, µ is the
coefficient of friction and θ is the angle of wrap in W
Dc = × 60 (22)
radians. Ta
But for v-belts where, DC is the rate of digestion (kg/hr) and Ta is
T1 the average digestion time (mins).
=3 (17)
T2 Wd
η= × 100 (23)
Where the factor 3 is a constant for v-belts W
Therefore, T1 =3T2 (18) Where, η is the efficiency(%), Wd is the weight of the
Since T1 = Fc (19) digested fruit collected at the outlet of the digester
Therefore, (kg) and W is the initial weight of the palm fruit fed
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 DEVELOPMENT OF MOTORIZED OIL PALM FRUIT ROTARY DIGESTER, F. U. Asoiro, U. C. Udo

into the digester(kg). Twenty different samples of The developed oil palm fruit digester was found to
fresh palm fruit of weight 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, perform satisfactorily with all the mass of the fresh
45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 and palm fruit poured into it at constant operational
105kg were fed through the hopper of the digester at speed of 621.4rpm when tested. The highest
an optimal operational speed of 621.4rpm. A stop digesting efficiency of 71.73% with a digesting
watch was used to record the digestion time taken capacity of 143.31kg/hr was obtained when an
for each of the twenty trials. initial palm fruit mass of 75kg was digested. The
amount of digested and undigested fruit produced
3. Results and Discussion from this are 53.8kg and 21.2kg respectively. The
Data from the first experiment shown in Table 1 digester capacity could be increased for large scale
showed that the optimal speed of the digester is digestion of palm fruits.
621.4rpm. This is because from the speed of
621.4rpm upwards, the digestion time is almost the Table 1: Determination of optimal speed of oil palm
same. Table 1 also showed that as the speed fruit digester for a fruit weighing 5grams.
increases, the digestion time decreases. S/n Speed (rpm) Time of digestion mins)
The digester performance result presented in Table 1 581.4 8.50
2 shows that the digesting capacity, Dc and efficiency, 2 591.4 7.60
η are 117.93kg/hr and 64.88% respectively. 3 601.4 6.70
4 611.4 5.8
Expectedly, increase in mass of the palm fruit
5 621.4 4.98
increases the digestion time and the digesting 6 631.4 4.98
capacity of the digester. In some cases, the efficiency 7 641.4 4.98
of the palm fruit digester, increases with increase in 8 651.4 4.97
the mass of the palm fruit, while in most cases there 9 661.4 4.97
is a significant increase in the efficiency of the oil 10 671.4 4.96
palm fruit rotary digester. This agrees with an earlier
design Ugoamadi [16] for cassava pelleting machine .

Table 2: Determination of digesting capacity and efficiency of the developed rotary oil palm fruit digester.
Initial weight of Weight of Weight of Average Average Digesting Efficienc
Te palm fruit, digested fruit, undigested fruit, digestion time, digestion time, capacity, y, η
st W(kg) Wd(kg) Wu(kg) Ta(min) Ta(hrs) Dc(kg/h) (%)
1 10.00 5.20 4.80 6.80 0.11 88.24 52.00
2 15.00 8.80 6.20 10.80 0.18 83.33 58.67
3 20.00 10.20 8.80 12.30 0.21 97.56 53.68
4 25.00 12.90 12.10 14.30 0.24 104.90 51.60
5 30.00 16.90 13.10 14.80 0.25 121.62 56.33
6 35.00 21.50 13.50 16.90 0.28 124.26 61.43
7 40.00 26.00 14.00 20.10 0.34 119.40 65.00
8 45.00 30.30 14.70 21.90 0.37 123.29 67.33
9 50.00 33.70 16.30 24.20 0.40 123.97 67.40
10 55.00 38.10 16.90 23.10 0.39 142.86 69.27
11 60.00 43.00 17.00 25.90 0.43 139.00 71.67
12 65.00 47.00 18.00 29.20 0.49 133.56 72.31
13 70.00 50.10 19.90 30.20 0.50 139.07 71.57
14 75.00 53.80 21.20 31.40 0.52 143.31 71.73
15 80.00 57.00 23.00 38.90 0.65 123.39 71.25
16 85.00 59.20 25.80 40.20 0.67 126.87 69.65
17 90.00 60.50 29.50 44.30 0.74 121.90 67.22
18 95.00 63.20 31.80 50.60 0.84 112.65 66.53
19 100.00 66.20 33.80 60.10 1.00 99.83 66.20
20 105.00 70.10 34.90 70.30 1.17 89.62 66.76

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 DEVELOPMENT OF MOTORIZED OIL PALM FRUIT ROTARY DIGESTER,
4. Conclusion and Recommendation
4.1 Conclusion
The palm fruit digester so far developed is easy to
operate. Testing and performance evaluation of the
system showed that the system can be
recommended for use by farm cooperatives in rural
communities. Therefore manufacturers should take
up this innovation of the motorized oil palm fruit
rotary digester and implement it in the mass
processing of red oil palm fruit for export, domestic
and industrial uses
4.2 Recommendation
In a bid to achieve the millennium development
goals (MDGs) and vision 20:20:20 of the current
federal government in the area of agriculture and
industrial raw material development as well as food
security and employment, government should take
advantage of this innovation. Short and medium
term loans should immediately be granted to
farmers to enable them adopt this important
innovation for mass production of red oil palm in
other to meet the growing demand of the nations
industry, local consumption and for export. Oil palm
fruit farmers and local oil palm fruit processing
industries are encouraged to patronize this
innovation and to increase their profit. The use of
this innovation other than the commonly used
manual type will attract youths and more investors
in this sector as drudgery and tedium has been
removed. Optimization of the oil palm digester to
determine its optimum performance parameters is
recommended because many operational
parameters of this affect its performance differently
at the same level.
References
[1] MacQueen, D. Biotechnology Laboratory to Mark Place
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